The Partnership
The Plumbers Charity is the philanthropic arm of the Worshipful Company of Plumbers. The Plumbers Charity strives to change lives for the better, encompassed by the mantra ‘Better Plumbing, Better Health, Better Lives’. They do this by supporting plumbing education, training and development, and the promotion of the ‘craft of plumbing’.
Just a Drop partnered with the Plumbers Charity in 2023, delivering a first project at Ta Tork Primary School, followed by Ta Tork and Trapeang Svey villages, providing safe water to the communities.
We’re delighted the Charity has continued their support for a third year, at Escuela Silvia Suárez Quintana, in Nicaragua, where 70 children attend. There, we’ll build two double pit latrines (one for boys and one for girls) and one single pit latrine for teachers.
This will result in much improved sanitation, creating a school environment which promotes better learning.
Ta Tork Primary School, Cambodia
Before the Plumbers Charity’s support, Ta Tork Primary School did not have enough functioning latrines for its students and many were forced to practice open defecation. This made it very difficult to maintain hygiene standards and denied the students access to proper sanitation. When we tested the water at Ta Tork, it had high levels of E.coli due to its exposure to human waste.
However, thanks to the Plumbers Charity’s support, things couldn’t be more different at Ta Tork Primary School. The project involved renovating one four-stance latrine, two urinals, two handwashing stations, and a further two-stance latrine and single handwashing station.
The children at Ta Tork Primary School also received a full range of training on latrine use and hygiene practices. These sessions taught the students about how to use and maintain the latrines, as well as the health implications of latrine use. Hygiene training provided the six steps of hand washing, with soap, at five critical times during the day.
Thanks to the Plumbers Charity, all of the 164 children and staff at Ta Tork Primary School are now healthier and disease levels at the school are significantly lower. Children are now more able to concentrate and gain from their education and families are now better off due to not having to pay for expensive medicines for the sick.
In 2024, the Plumbers Charity supported a project in the villages of Ta Tork and Trapeang Svey, providing 200 people with safe water in their homes, through the installation of 45 biosand filters.
